Happy October (hockey month?) … Europansies win again

Why is it that those who cover golf don’t understand it? Or is it just that they are paid to analyze something that really can’t be analyzed.

Year after year after year, Ryder Cup after President’s Cup after Ryder Cup, all we hear about is camaraderie and chemistry and emotion and the team room and all this crap, which is really what it is. Totally crap.

It’s golf. Moreso, it is match-play golf. Anything can happen. Usually the team that makes more putts wins. It has nothing to do with camaraderie, chemistry or team play or emotion. Yeah, that stuff is all nice, but it’s putting that wins. Also, we hear about this captain’s decision or that captain’s failures or this captain’s expertise … when that, too, depends on putts.

On Friday and Saturday, Team USA had all the camaraderie, chemistry and emotion and unity and Davis Love III was a genius.

On Sunday night, Team Euro had all the camaraderie, chemistry and emotion and unity and Jose Maria Olazabal was a genius. When, in fact, the event was a virtual tie. The final was 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 because Tiger conceded a half to Franesco Molinari in a match that didn’t matter. The actual score was 14-14. These were two very, very evenly-matched teams and the event was a virtual split, and yet the US failed and the Euros were being exalted. And really, the difference was a single putt.

And, oh by the way, T.W. was the worst player in the whole event. A total of 24 players in 28 matches. He was the worst.

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While we’re on other sports … God, what a joy it was to cover the Jets yesterday … I know most of you can’t stand the Knickerbockers. But some of you like them. And for those who do, Howard Megdal is taking over our LoHud Knicks bl0g. So check him out at:

knicks.lohudblogs.com and @LohudKnicks.

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Finally, still got a lot of time and openings for guest bloggers. So if you want to give it a shot, or another shot, drop me an email at rcarpini@lohud.com.

53 Comments

True, true, true about putts, Carp. Always true. But you must admit, many of the American competitors had tears of defeat in their eyes at the end, including Woods. You very very rarely see that in normal competitive golf except after the occasional grueling, hard-won victory in a major event, and never in defeat. Why this Ryder Cup is different is something of a mystery, at least to me. Some strange (and fleeting) psychic team goodfellowship or something even more primordial seems to be at work, even in the singles matches. Any psychiatrists or social scientists out there to provide some explanation?

Um, really?? When the broadcasters speak of camaraderie in the Ryder Cup, theyre speaking of the event atmosphere, the personal experience for the golfers. Nothing to do with winning or losing.

And now that the Yankees have clinched a playoff spot, the only reason i was so adamant that theyd miss the playoffs was because i felt Carp was trying to jinx them by saying a playoff spot was guaranteed, so i had to reverse the jinx. And even tho i dislike the manager, im glad he recognized the same quitting that i did, and on the same day i called it, he called his 1st team meeting of the year, which gave them some urgency and thankfully helped them avoid a collapse.

We WON! Team Europansy won!!
Real score or not Carp – the result will be recorded a Europe win 14 1/2 – 13 1/2 . Tiger should have made Molinari putt, but he looked like he just wanted to get in his helicopter and go home to whatever porn star or model he is banging these days.

I also give full credit to Olazabal, he front loaded his lineup in order to try and get the scores back close and make a contest of it. In the end it was a case of hanging on for those halves but it was one of the best, if not the best, i’ve ever watched.

coos, I’m not saying there wasn’t emotion or camaraderie … there most certainly was, on both sides. I’m saying, most analysts and writers will tell you that’s why one side won and one didn’t. and it’s a bunch of bullcarcillo.

The NHL players should start a golf league where they wore team sweaters and occasionally turned in the tee box and slammed the ball at the opposition close up. Any player hit or nearly hit by the ball would have the option of having the aggressor fined one stroke by the the officials or of dropping his club and charging at the opponent and punching him senseless at the end of which, the hole would be considered halfed and they would proceed to the next tee. Players seriously outweighed would also have the option of not having to drop their club before the assault.

With the way you put it, Carp, I have to agree. It’s golf, not Camus. Can’t believe late last night I asked for a psychiatrist’s opinion. In the wee hours, due to a lack of sleep, I sometimes get as fruity as the “analysts.” Maybe that’s why there are so many marriage proposals at 2 AM.

The analysts also love to talk about momentum, like a couple putts made or missed really has anything to do with other matches. They need something to talk about I guess.

Btw, Tiger wasn’t the worst player. He carried Stricker in his 2nd match and only lost because the rookie for the Euro team shot 10 under on his own ball. He also would’ve won his last match, even though I was rooting for Molinari. I think he missed the putt on purpose to screw his teammates out of the side action against the Euros. Any rumors about what the wagers are? I’m sure they play for something.

First, I loved the Ryder Cup. It was highly entertaining, the passion of the fans and the players was awesome and for whatever reason, whether its the course being set up for more risk/reward rather than brutality or simply the nature of match play, it seemed like there were more clutch putts made over the course of the competition than you typically say down the stretch of a major championship.

Second, the question I have about the Lockout is do the Players believe that the NHL cares about nothing other than the 30 owners’ pockets. If they do, why continue with this charade of bargaining and just decertify and file a lawsuit against the NHL that rightly points out its abuse of anti-trust and its lack of good faith bargaining.

The facts, as I laid out in a guest post a few weeks ago seem to me: Revenues are up 7.1% per year, the league has made huge gains in TV money and rather than have a sick league, has several teams (i.e. the teams that Bettman thought were essential to the League’s future success in the Sunbelt) that are very much under water.

There is a deal to be made here. It is just so freaking frustrating watching this stalemate go on. And to hear Bill Daly talk about the Union needing to come back with concessions because they’ve moved considerably is just ridiculous. If I agreed to a contract that paid me $100,000 for seven years a company that had 84% revenue growth over seven years and then upon expiration started the new contract negotiations with an offer of $30,000 but then was willing to move to $60,000, wowie, look, we raised our offer 100%! You need to come down from your $95,000 counter offer. Everyone sees the BS of the ruse, here and the negotiating tactic.

Well what I’ve noticed is that the smart people can THINK of topics on hockey to talk about. Now don’t get me wrong , I enjoy a good seinfeld talk ( even though I never watch the show) and I enjoy talking ladies tennis and all of sports. It’s all fun. Now on the blog if the topic is something other than hockey…its ok. I myself love the Rangers and you will always see me talk about them or hockey in general , thats why I come here. Oh and the guy who writes it is perty dam good too.

Gonna have to agree but also disagree with you on this (the golf portion of your post)… Putts are where it’s at in golf. Totally agree. You can hit the ball like Bubba Watson an it won’t mean poo if you putt like me.

However, in the Pres Cup and Ryder Cup emotions momentum and feeding off of other teammates plays a part. Seve was a huge part of the Euros mentality, and for sure it didn’t hurt that the Americans played like horse-dung.

I feel that if Captain Love (funny sounding isn’t it) backloaded his squad instead if front loading it, they would’ve won. He knew that Jose would put his best guys out first… He had to. He had to put blue on the board. Love should’ve realized that & put Tiger out first because he can beat anyone on any day… If he loses so what… He’s playing like crap anyway. Backload your team and the US would’ve won the last 4 matches easily and the Cup IMHO

completely disagree that the lineup could have or would have changed anything. it’s match play.

and while I agree that emotions, etc., is part of the Cup — of course! — you don’t win because you’re more emotional or you want it more or any of that crap. both teams wanted it very badly. you show your emotions when you’re making shots. you don’t when you’re not. that simple. it’s easy for Ian Poulter and Keegan Bradley to look like madmen whose world revolves around every shot … when they’re hitting great shots. When they’re not, you don’t hear or see squat from them. Obviously.

Seve was one of my favorite players ever. I knew him pretty well for all his great performances in Westchester. But if Seve’s magical chips don’t get close, or if his putts lip out, he’s silent as Jason Dufner.

It was a great Ryder Cup, I watched nearly to the whole thing–much to my wife’s delight. Carp, I gotta disagree with Woods being the worst of the whole event, not sure if that was meant as sarcasm or not. He did make 4 or 5 birdies on the back side on Friday and Saturday and hit a great shot on 17 yesterday. Stricker is usually solid but was pitiful. Certainly a lot of blame to go around. Poulter was a beast.

Gotta like Dufner. Comes to play, plays hard – no bragging, no fist pumping, no crying. Shakes hands on the 18th green, and heads home. Once there, his new wife probably asks him how he did, and he says “Not bad, what’s for dinner?”

Carp, I’m glad to see somebody with a objective view. My friend loves Tiger Woods and from start to finish I texted him several times through the weekend how woods was by far the worst player and all he had to say to me was that the usa blew it because woods was going to win it for the USA team at the end, really, I guess love is truly blind. Woods is half the player he used to be. I’m actually glad. I don’t want to see woods beat Nicholas’s record and the reason is because I saw woods at a practice round at Shinnecock, long island US open walk through a roped off area on his way to the practice putting green and as he approached the beginning of the area, he grab a fans hat off his head, walk all the way to the other side and toss it into the crowd as hard as he could. That day I spoke to workers at the golf tournament and they told me Woods was being a complete A-hole. When I saw woods do that to that fan, that was the day I went from a woods fan to a non woods fan. What comes around goes around, screw Woods.

The Ryder was not due to putts, it was due to Putz’s, as in Furyk, Stricker and Woods. These American golfers choke like the Rangers of the 70’s and 80’s. It never ceases to amaze me how they fold in that event. Hard to believe that they care all that much.

not sarcasm at all. I think Woods stunk, especially Friday. And if Rose doesn’t make that bomb on 17 or if Kaymer misses his 6-footer on 18, I really wonder if Woods takes down Molinari with the Cup on the line.

Also, if Rose doesn’t make that 35-footer, nobody’s talking about the U.S. choke today. Or Europe’s camaraderie.

Yergs, I agree. Nash was surely over there to be in tip-top shape for the season. Not for the cash. But, it still bothers me that those guys go over there so early in the lockout.

There’s a story today about Curt Schilling and his bankrupt 38 Studios avoiding federal charges for crimes they committed. It’s nice to know the values of the feds…. let a Bostonian get away with crimes committed while also cheating the state of Rhode Island out of $75 million, but go after Roger Clemens for perjury charges re: drug use in sports, spending millions of taxpayer dollars in the process, solely because he won 2 World Series with the Yankees.

CCCP, be very careful, your posts here may affect your nursing life, just saying, my wife is a RN and the way they go after the RNs these days is way out there. Any sign of emotional instability, obssesive disorders of any kind may warrant a psychiatric evaluation before a license renewal is granted. You probably know that in your future profession you will be in charge of sick humans, mostly unsupervised, so be well….
Warm regards, newbear

newbear , CCCP isn’t really unstable like a few others around here. Some fans on here are only fans of misery and pain of other teams. They like when the Rangers win ONLY because they are playing a team they hate. Fans like that are fake . All they want is attention . If they hate other teams more then the the love of the Rangers …go to the blog of the team you hate. Bug them and maybe name your user name after your pet. Everyone loves to be called a dog.